Monstrous Heels Over Helmet Hip Check Is NHL Play of the Year

During the first period of Tuesday night's Capitals-Avalanche game, Washington's Dmitry Orlov showed off a textbook hip check on Colorado's Matt Duchene that sent Duchene flipping onto the ice. The season isn't even five games old, but we'll be hard-pressed to find something this intense the rest of the way.

The Caps would go on to win, 3-0, but afterward all the talk was about the mammoth check. Washington coach Barry Trotz said, "Wow...That was a real clean hit, shoulder to sort of the midsection of the hit." Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said he thought the hit was fine, but Duchene wasn't so kind. “I don’t really want to talk about it because I’ll say something that might get me in trouble," he said.

The play itself didn't lead to a goal and didn't result in any penalty, but it definitely registered with fans the way Duchene's head registered with the ice.